1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns user interfaces for computers and pertains particularly to organizing a user interface using different personae.
2. Related Information
Computers have had a revolutionary impact on the way many people organize their lives. This is particularly true when the power of personal computers or terminals are enhanced through networking with other computers, such as the internet makes available. When multimedia capability is added, what was once a mere personal computing system can become a personal multimedia communications system (PMCS).
Typically, as a PMCS user begins to realize the potential uses of a PMCS, the user utilizes his PMCS for an increasing variety of tasks. A PMCS increases communication versatility for the user. A PMCS acts as a tool to assist a user in the accomplishment of many tasks. Before long, a user""s PMCS generally becomes full of information files. There are various groups of people with whom the user interacts using the PMCS. In addition, different modes of communication are utilized to communicate with various other individuals.
While working on a particular task, the PMCS user has to sort through and work around information not currently needed. For example, the information not currently needed can include information files not relevant to the immediate task, or communications contact information for people not involved in the immediate task. For example, a single individual may function at different times in the role of a house buyer, a parent, a team member for a first project and a team leader for a second project. In each role, the individual will need distinct groups of information files and will need to interact with different groups of people.
In each of these roles, different communications media may be required. For example, when buying a house, still image and video may be very helpful communications media. However, still image and video may not be required when functioning as a parent and interacting with the child""s school.
In current PMCS implementations, a user has to sort through all the information on his multimedia terminal to get to desired information. This can be not only burdensome but can also increase the likelihood of mistakes. These mistakes can be as simple as dialing a wrong number on a telephone or as significant as forwarding confidential information to an inappropriate destination.
Currently, information files for different roles are generally kept distinct by separating the information into different folders. Personal contact information can be placed into different directories. When a particular file needs to be used in more than one place, the file can be duplicated, or more efficiently, an xe2x80x9caliasxe2x80x9d of a file can be created which functions as a pointer to the original file.
However, aliases are currently not used for personal contact information. If it is desirable to divide personal contact information, any personal contact information which is to be accessed in more than one place needs to be duplicated. Alternatively, all personal contact information can be stored together at a single location. In general, there is no convenient method for separating both data files and contact information.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a user interface is organized using different personae. When in a master persona mode, a user is provided access to a full list of contacts and to a full set of data files. When in a first alternate persona mode, user access is limited to only a first subset of the full list of contacts and to only a first subset of the full set of data files.
The present invention enables a user to concentrate on the task at hand. Using an alternate persona mode simplifies the task of accessing information files which pertain to a particular task or role, and simplifies the task of contacting individuals who are appropriate to the particular role. This allows a user to make very efficient use of multimedia information without being overwhelmed.